Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nuwara Eliya Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nuwara Eliya

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 23.4% more expensive than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 61.1% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 4.8% cheaper than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 51.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 ฿63.8

$3.97 LKR 1,227

-48.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.59 ฿585

$24.90 LKR 7,695

-25.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿235

$8.58 LKR 2,653

-12.82%

Cappuccino

$2.00 ฿62.8

$2.65 LKR 818

-24.53%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 ฿26.63

$0.69 LKR 212

23.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.05

$0.38 LKR 116

-7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿69.5

$2.36 LKR 730

-6.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿118

$3.28 LKR 1,014

14.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿54.0

$1.77 LKR 546

-2.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿51.4

$0.51 LKR 159

219.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ฿36.42

$0.82 LKR 254

41.46%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿62.2

$2.15 LKR 664

-7.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ฿501

$14.01 LKR 4,330

13.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿99.6

$4.65 LKR 1,438

-31.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿343

$8.18 LKR 2,527

33.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ฿83.2

$7.53 LKR 2,326

-64.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿38.45

$1.10 LKR 341

10.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ฿53.4

$5.95 LKR 1,839

-71.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.99

$1.25 LKR 386

27.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.63

$1.10 LKR 341

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿36.74

$1.41 LKR 435

-17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ฿21.31

$1.16 LKR 358

-41.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.52

$0.59 LKR 183

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 ฿142

$9.97 LKR 3,081

-54.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 ฿600

$12.94 LKR 3,999

47.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$2.02 LKR 624

-12.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿100.0

$2.93 LKR 906

8.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ฿30.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿594

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.69

$0.38 LKR 119

257.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.51

$0.35 LKR 109

285.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ฿253

$0.61 LKR 190

1216.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿39.08

$1.20 LKR 371

3.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.2K ฿665.4K

$26.7K LKR 8.3M

-20.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.8K ฿684.0K

$34.8K LKR 10.7M

-37.43%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$71.2 ฿2,240

$61.1 LKR 18.9K

16.63%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$14.09 ฿443

$4.26 LKR 1,317

230.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 ฿549

$15.06 LKR 4,656

16.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ฿1,323

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿216

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ฿187

$3.42 LKR 1,057

73.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$307 ฿9,664

$36.70 LKR 11.3K

737.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.1K

$439 LKR 135.6K

3272.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ฿1,750

$28.04 LKR 8,667

98.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿842

$19.30 LKR 5,965

38.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,617

$70.8 LKR 21.9K

17.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ฿2,204

$38.07 LKR 11.8K

84.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,454

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 ฿25.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿15.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿64.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.45

-69.60%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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